Who Works For Who — An Anecdote On Servant Leadership

Ego is the enemy of leadership. Years ago as an intern, I was responsible for making a pot of coffee each morning. I never minded the responsibility. I felt privileged to have the internship and the ability to learn from the rest of the team. If the cost of sitting in on meetings and brainstorming sessions was grabbing coffee then that seemed fair. When the time came for my startup to have interns I thought the same hierarchy would apply. My partners disagreed.

Growing frustrated I asked what sense it made for us, the co-founders, to interrupt our 12+ hour workdays to make coffee. On paper, it made no sense. Our financial statements showed the cost of everyone’s time according to payroll. The time of our interns was a bargain compared to our paid employees. Perhaps driven by ego, I pressed for coffee duties to be assigned to the interns just as it had been assigned to me years before. Again, my partners disagreed.

Frustrated and confused I disengaged from the conversation to focus on the countless emails and other work I had. Peeking over my laptop I noticed a paper being taped above the coffee machine. A daily schedule was posted showing who at which times were responsible for coffee duties and other office chores. I saw my name posted and bit my tongue.

As an early-stage startup, our values were teamwork, clear communication, and empowering our team. My partners pointed out that having the lowest members of our team responsible for making coffee was not consistent with the idea of fostering a team environment and empowering everyone. They were right.

As our startup grew I oversaw our newly created marketing team. Adapting to the growing team I delegated responsibilities and pushed each person to be king or queen of their domain. Instead of me doing everything and being an executor I was now assuming the role of a manager. No longer could I just put my head down and do. Once company goals were set I would set micro-goals to break down quarterly and monthly goals into weekly and daily goals.

During the days I prioritized helping my team. Short and regular meetings created an opportunity for me to communicate goals and their importance as well as provide feedback and clear up any confusion.

During a meeting, I realized my team was making decisions designed to help me personally rather than the company. For instance, internal presentations were meticulously designed and extra time was spent crafting reports and emails where I was the only person who would review them. Their dedication did help me personally but I was concerned about the time it was taking from them. They were prioritizing helping me and saving my time. At first, this was nice but I realized that helping me is not the same as helping the company. This was similar to assigning who made the coffee. What is best for one individual, even if that individual is a top performer, is not what is always best for the team. This was the beginning of me adopting a servant leadership mindset.

I was already concerned with how I could help my team grow to become more productive and capable but I had failed to communicate this to them. During meetings, I began emphasizing that my role was to help them. Initially, my team looked at me confused. I explained if each of them accomplished their goals then the company would reach its goals. My role was therefore to assist them in helping them achieve their goals. I was responsible for making each of them more productive and capable. During meetings, I began talking less and listening more. I tried to identify what I could do to aid their personal growth. I emphasized that they were part of a community that valued them and wanted to support them. I started getting them coffee.

Adopting a servant leadership model helped our company grow and move faster. My team became more autonomous and independent while also becoming more caring and willing to help others. The servant leadership model permeated into our culture and cemented teamwork, clear communication, and empowerment as communal values. Sometimes the best thing to do is to get your team coffee rather than them getting you coffee to make sure the entire team feels like they have a seat at the table.